Fifth chapter of last week...

 

...

 

I was resting on a chair beside Ley’s bed when the demon spoke.

[It’s ready.]

I opened my eyes with a sharp glint.

“Finally. Let’s start then.”

[Do you remember what I told you?]

“Enter the dreamland, find Ley, and teach her how to face the seed.”

[Mm, just that simple. However, you must remember that no matter what happens, you can’t come into contact with the seed.]

“I know.”

[I’m not joking, boy. If you come into contact with the seed, the other piece may realize my existence. By then, even Ley will be in danger. She must be the one to get rid of the seed. You can only give her advice.]

“I understand.”

[I hope you do.] The demon sighed. [Now put your hand on her forehead. I’m going to synchronize the dreamscape.]

I nodded.

When I put my hand on Ley’s forehead, the demon activated the dreamscape.

What appeared before me was the familiar scenery I was used to, but one second later, a portal-like thing appeared in the middle of the dreamscape.

[This is the bridge connecting your dreamscape to Ley’s. Hurry up, I can’t keep it for long.]

Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside the portal.

Immediately, the scenery changed completely.

Unlike the idyllic scenery in my dreamscape, this place was dark, chaotic, and twisted. It was filled with narrow corridors, twisting stairs without an end in sight, and bottomless cliffs that seemed to want to swallow everything whole.

I furrowed my brows.

“Is this Ley’s dreamscape? Why is it like this?”

[The dreamscape is the manifestation of a person's subconscious. It looks like your seemingly cute sister is more twisted than you think.]

I frowned displeased.

“Ley is not crazy.”

[She is not, but she is not normal either.]

“How do I find her?”

[Just walk forward. As long as you desire to find her, you will eventually arrive at her location.]

I nodded and walked into one of the corridors.

Ley’s dreamscape was a bit creepy, like a place taken out from a nightmare. There were almost no sources of light, and every few meters, I would come across narrow corridors and twisted stairs that seemed to go nowhere.

I just walked while following my instincts. If the demon was right, the path I took did not matter as long as I wanted to find my sister.

Soon, though, I noticed something weird.

[She sure is obsessed with you.] The demon chuckled amused.

I was a bit embarrassed.

I could see a lot of images and representations of me all around the dreamscape. From sculptures to pictures, drawings, and even lifelike plushie dolls made with me as the model.

Moreover, unlike the dark and dim dreamscape, these things were colorful and lively, contrasting completely with the gloomy atmosphere of the place.

[Your sister really likes you. It’s almost at the point of worship.]

I put on an awkward expression.

But at the same time, I was reminded of how important I was for her.

My determination to awaken her became stronger.

Just at that moment, I heard a  strange noise.

It sounded like something was crawling, slowly approaching my location.

I looked in the direction of the noise. At first, I could only see darkness.

Soon, though, a red root-like thing emerged from the darkness.

[Boy, it’s the seed! Leave now!]

My expression changed. Without hesitating, I started to run in the opposite direction.

The root seemed to have noticed my existence. It shot toward my direction while letting out a shriek-like sound.

Soon, more roots and rootlets appeared, crawling through the walls, ceiling, and floor of the dreamscape while trying to catch me.

“Demon.”

[I know. Turn to the right.]

I followed the demon’s instructions. Soon, a portal like the one I used to enter the dreamscape appeared in front of me.

I did not hesitate and went through it. One second later, I appeared in a different place.

The portal disappeared behind me as I observed my new surroundings.

[There is no time to lose. The seed has noticed our presence. You must hurry up.]

I nodded and ran in a random direction.

This time, I managed to advance for about five minutes before another root found me.

Once more, the demon transported me to another part of the dreamscape and I continued trying to locate Ley.

The process repeated several times. Every time, the time the roots took to find me became less and less.

I felt as though it was slowly cornering me.

[The contamination is worse than I thought. We only have ten more minutes, boy. If you fail to locate your sister in that time, we’ll have to retreat.] The demon warned me.

I bit my lips in frustration.

Although the demon did not say it, I knew that this may be my last chance to save Ley.

The contamination was only going to become worse. If I could not reach Ley this time, the only way to save her would be to defeat the owner of the piece before Ley died.

‘Am I going to fail?’

I shook my head and got rid of my hesitation. I was going to save Ley this time, no matter what.

Right at that moment, I heard the sound of the roots slithering in my direction.

I could not help but click my tongue.

“Persistent bastards! Demon!”

[I know.]

The roots appeared behind me. They surged toward me like countless hungry snakes after seeing delicious prey.

The demon hurriedly proceeded to create another portal, but just when I was about to go through it, something happened.

All of sudden, a wall appeared between me and the roots, blocking their advance.

At the same time, a new entrance appeared in the wall at my right, and a small plushie of me emerged from it.

I blinked in surprise as the plushie gestured for me to follow it.

I hesitated briefly before following the plushie inside the new entrance. As soon as I came inside, the entrance closed.

I could hear the roots breaking the wall blocking them and shrieking angrily while trying to find me. It seemed like they were infuriated after failing to catch me so many times.

The plushie ignored them and walked ahead of me. Soon, it brought me to a luxurious bedroom that seemed taken out of a fairytale.

A beautiful girl with auburn hair and obsidian-like eyes was seated on the bed in the middle of the room.

She stood up and smiled brightly as soon as she saw me.

“Brother, you came!”

I sighed in relief and smiled too.

“Of course, my princess. I came to rescue you.”